Dreams of the Heart
by Pixiedustgurl
Summary: Alex is trying to control the dreams that she has, but one dream just won't leave her mind. It involves a man in a red suit with a skull demimask. But when her dream becomes reality, which one will she choose?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Dreams. Everyone has them and each is different. In some dreams we escape reality, going to a happier place than where we currently are. In other dreams, we go to a place where we are the ones who change time. But what if, in our dreams, we can live an alternate life? We would be able to change history and our own lives. Would you choose your dream or your life? But be warned, your dreams may come with loops and twists of terror.


	2. The Dream

Hello all, I am back for another round. I'll most likely also be updating my other story, Dark Like My Soul, but my muse has to come back to me. Many of you are going to wonder how this story came about...let's just say I experienced the dream Alex has, first hand. Please read and review...and i'll love you all forever!

**Disclaimer: Don't own any POTO characters; those belong to Leroux...however I do own Alex, Celia, and Ben! and Antis, California isn't a real place; just made up in my mind...ENJOY!**

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Chapter 1

Alex awoke in a cold sweat. Her heart was racing in her chest and her breathing was erratic.

"Good job Alexandria. We got a good reading that time." Dr. John Patal said, as he scribbled something on his clipboard. She nodded and looked at the nurse who held a glass of water. The nurse hurried over and handed her the plastic cup. Alex took it from her and held it between her cold, slippery hands. The water was cool, but not ice cold. She quickly downed the water and handed the cup back.

"Thanks." she croaked, her throat still dry. The nurse nodded and then hurried off to refill her cup. Alex shifted several times on the bed, trying to ignore the stiff mattress springs as they dug into her skin. She looked down at the covers and smoothed them across her lap. Slowly pieces of the dream she had crept back into her mind and she shivered involuntary.

She always had dreams, it seemed a part of her life. Ever since she could remember these dreams took hold of her mind while she slept. Dreams that seemed so real and life-like that she wondered if she had been there. The first few months when she started having them, they were easy to cope with. They were really basic, just things that would happen in a few weeks. They were almost like deja vu. Then, somehow they became less harmless and more dark. It really didn't start until she had seen the movie Saw. Her dreams turned from deja vu dreams to dreams where she was in constant pain, she was being tortured, and normally she experienced death. When she'd awake in her cold sweat pajamas, she would frantically check her body to make sure the phantom pains were just that; phantom. Occasionally she'd wake up with blood staining her sheets from a small cut on her wrist, ankle, or stomach. She'd also wake up with the taste of blood in her mouth, the smell permeating her nose, and the dark shroud of death in her mind. That's when her parents decided to take her to Dr. Patal, who studied people with sleep problems. Alex had insisted to her parents she didn't have a sleeping problems, just really strong life-like dreams. But her parents wouldn't hear of it, wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that their daughter was not as perfect as they imagined. They always thought that she was the perfect daughter, she was something that her parents would always brag about to their friends. But now they didn't notice her. She was a failure in their eyes now, a freak spot that marred their perfect little life. Now she welcomed the release of going every week to the test center. She welcomed the cool stickiness of the detectors that they placed on her temples and on her chest and the easiness that sleep came to her. Here, she could escape the shame of her parents and the mere fact that they now doted more upon her little brother and sister than they did her. Although it was the same boring routine, it severed into her dismaying life. There were, however, times when she would enter a dream and wonder if she would ever awake from the dream. That maybe something would go horribly wrong while she was asleep and she would be forever stuck in that dream, unable to awake. But one dream changed it all, one dream made her want to never wake up. A slight smile graced her lips as she thought about the dream, for it always played out the same: _Alex stood on the doorstep to an amazing mansion. The outside was decorated with streamers of gold and silver. Men, dressed in soldier's outfits stood on the steps, their buckskin white pants seemed to be painted on to their legs. They wore deep navy blue jackets with brightly polished buttons that stood out on the jacket like twinkling stars. Red braids with gold woven in between adorned their shoulders, while upon their head sat a polished silver helmet with large white plumes flowing out from the top. She would smile at them, while ascending the stairs, and noticed that they seemed like statues, not moving but staring straight ahead. She entered the ballroom, where there were women in expensive dresses and men in the black formal kit. They all had demi-masks on, and some were on the dance floor being spun around to the time of the music. She silently made her way to a small table, and sat down with a small glass of champagne near her hand. Two sets of giggles came from her left and she saw her twin brother and sister laughing with an elder woman dressed in all black and another girl, about her age, that had blonde hair. She waved slightly at the four and turned back to watch the gaiety on the dance floor. That's when she would watch a man approach her, feeling her heart leap within her chest. He was dressed different from the men in their formal kit, he boldly defied the social dress norms. He wore red pants and a red jacket with a cape. Upon his face sat a skull demi-mask and he wore a charming smile that was meant only for her. He approached her table and she held out her hand to him. Bowing from the waist, he took her hand and brought it to his lips gracing it with a brush of his lips. _

"_Would you care to dance, Mademoiselle Knoll?" his rich voice washing over her like a warm summer breeze. She nodded and allowed him to sweep her to the dance floor. His grip upon her waist and left hand was comforting and welcomed. They would dance to every song, never stopping to grab a drink and would laugh and talk about everything. Finally the clock struck midnight, each chime ringing through out the air as if it was reminding people of the time. The man would take her hand and guide her up the marble stair case to a balcony. Here, they would stand and watch the people cavort and interact below them. He would then draw her into the shadows where he would raise a leather gloved hand and caress her cheek. She would close her eyes, enjoying his touch and wishing for more. Silently he would reach for a table beside them, plucking a blood red rose with a black ribbon tied around its stem from the table and hand it to her. She looked down then back up at the strange man, looking deep into his blue-green eyes. He smiled at her, leaned forward, and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. _

"_Sleep well mon ange." He whispered to her and then slowly he would meld into the darkness._

Then slowly, as if she didn't want to awake, Alex would become aware that she was in her own bed. She would gaze down at her covers, still feeling the dizzy effect from dancing and the phantom kiss that had been placed on her forehead. She always reacted the same, lifting a hand to press the still-warm spot on her head.

"We have gotten all the readings we need for today, Miss Knoll. We'll leave you alone so you can redress." the doctor swept out of the room with the nurse following on his heels.

Alex nodded and waited for the doctor to leave before easing the covers away from her. She swung her legs over the edge and touched her feet to the cold floor. She sighed and placed her head in her hands. "I wish life would return to normal." She really didn't mind the dreams, but ever since she started having them, she had barely any friends. For three years she had been out of college, a bright girl at the age of 22. She still lived at home, but only for the reason that she didn't want to leave home. She slowly peeled the detectors off of her temples, wincing as it caught a few strands of her bright red hair. Yanking the hair free, she set about pulling the detectors off her chest. "Nothing like ripping a layer of skin off to make you happy." She grumbled to no one in particular.

She drew off the comfortable yet extremely thin sleeping clothes they had lent her. She grabbed her favorite jeans, the one with a hole on her knee, and wiggled into them. She made a mental note to start dancing again, her legs were turning flabby. She reached for her shirt with a warning sign printed across it. Last but not least, she yanked on her black Vans shoes. Looking up at the clock as she slid her foot into her shoe, she gave a yelp of surprise. Damn. She had five minutes to pick up the twins, Ben and Celia, from elementary school. Grabbing her purse, she bolted out the door, hastily picking up her next appointment card, and ran to her car. Jumping in the driver's seat, she threw her purse down and started the little black convertible black Volkswagon Bug.

Ten minutes later found Alex stuck in a traffic jam about three blocks from the elementary school. "Damn it, why today of all days!" she swore to her radio. The radio merely returned music, not caring if she was late or not. Traffic began to move again and Alex squealed in delight. She was finally close enough to peal down the side-street that led to Antis Elementary School, and where two lone figures sitting were sitting on the curb.

"Ben! Celia! Come on, jump in!" Alex cried as she stopped suddenly. The two kids in question picked up their bags and hurried down the sidewalk to her car.

"Hi Alex! How was your sleepy-test today?" Celia's sing-song voice cried out as she clambered into the backseat.

"My sleepy-test was good. And how were your days?" Alex asked, watching the pair put on their seatbelts in the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, it was lots of fun! I made a drawing for mommy and daddy!" Celia said, looking proud at her accomplishments.

"Oh really? And how was your day Ben?" Alex asked, making sure she was clear to pull away from the curb.

"It was fine." Ben mumbled quietly. Alex smiled as she turned the car, heading towards the city. Her twin brother and sister were different from each other as night and day. Celia was bright and bubbly in her personality and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Ben, on the other hand, was quiet and shy. He didn't make friends as easily as his sister.

The three continued in silence as Alex drove them home. She stopped at a stop sign that crossed an extremely busy road. Looking left and right several times, she waited until she made sure both sides were clear. Seeing no traffic coming towards her from both ways, she drove forward and got side swiped by a tractor trailer.

* * *

Alex groaned loudly. Her head was throbbing like the Energizer Bunny was pounding on it. She lifted her hand and brought it to her face, water from the ground dropped on her face. _'Wait a minute.' _she thought, _'Why am I on a wet ground? I was driving. Okay Alex, breathe in and out. Good, now think clearly. You had stopped at the stop sign and saw no traffic coming towards you. Then you pulled out and...oh my god! I got hit by a tractor trailer! Holy monkeys! I must be in the hospital or laying on the road. Did I get struck directly? Maybe I'm dead, but what about Ben and Celia?' _Alex opened her eyes and only saw pitch blackness. She tried to push herself up, the hard ground beneath her was jagged and uneven. She could rule out the hospital bed, but she might be laying on the street. She strained her ears, to see if she could hear any cars. But the sound of zooming traffic never reached her ears, the sound of dripping water did. She closed her eyes and tried to think harder of what might have happened. After she got hit by the tractor trailer, she had seen a bright light and a voice. The voice had said something to her, but what? She tried to think harder about the voice, tried to focus on it's haunting prose. Then it came to her, hitting her like a bolt of lighting. 

"_Dreams of yours, come true._

_Travel to the past and find_

_life anew. Keep your wits _

_about you and you will find_

_love and happiness of every kind."_

Whatever that meant, she didn't know but she would have time later to figure it out. She reopened her eyes and stared off into the ever-pressing darkness. If she was here, did that mean Ben and Celia was here as well? And where exactly was here? She knew, somewhere in her heart, that she was no longer in California, nor was she in her own time. Call it intuition or call it a wild guess, but something in the air felt different to her. It seemed older, mustier, and definitely not of her time period. Not only that, but it felt like she had been here before, perhaps in her dreams. That's when she heard a whimper of pain come from her left causing her to turn to her left side. She winced as pain shot up her side and bit down it's bitter cry.

"Ben? Celia? Are you there?" maybe she wasn't the only one sent here, maybe the person who sent her, sent her little brother and sister as well.

"Alex? Where are you? It's so dark and I'm frightened." Ben's frightened voice washed over her, calming down her nerves to a degree.

"I'm over here Ben. Follow my voice and you should run into me." she said softly, trying to make her voice sound less frightened to the young boy. Within seconds, she felt Ben's little body crawl directly into her lap. She went to embrace the young boy, when another body latched onto her arm.

"Alex, is that you?" Celia's normally brave voice came out as a scared whimper.

"Yes Celia it is. Thank goodness you are both okay! Now, we got to figure...Celia, quit tugging on my arm. You're gonna pull me over." Alex told the small girl as she frantically pulled on her arm.

"But Alex, I hafta tell you something! We're not alone..." the little girl whispered loudly to her elder sister.

"What are you..." But at that precise moment, a voice boomed out from behind her.

"Who are you and what are you doing down here!"

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Dum dum dum! Hope y'all liked the first chapter! I will try to update often, but being a college student it might be difficult...thank god summer is just around the corner. On a more serious note: Alex, Ben, and Celia aren't dead! Well...it's difficult to explain...i know i got horrible nagging from my one friend when i said they got struck by a tractor-trailer...don't worry; it'll play out in the end...other than that! Please review!


	3. Life as you knew before, is gone

Chapter 2 is up! and I hope you like this chapter...it's a little darker than what i tend to write, but I was happy with the result...

**Disclaimer: Don't own any POTO characters; those belong to Leroux...however I do own Alex, Celia, and Ben!**

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Chapter 2

A shadow made it's way down in the dark paths toward it's hell. His hand's shook from the withdrawal of his drug. All Erik wanted to do was to go to his home, draw out a large amount of morphine, and forget his past life. He had only gone to the surface to see what was going on in the reconstruction of the Opera House. A few more weeks and the stage that had been burned from the crashing chandelier would be usable again. Then the auditions would come, and slowly the Opera House would get back into the normal routine. Everyone would forget about him, and slowly his mark that he left upon the Opera House would disappear like the early morning fog. People would forget about what he did, who he was, and what had happened. And with their forgetting, he would sit below and waste away until he passed into oblivion. He turned a corner and continued his way down to his lair when he felt something bump into him. The 'thing' gave a soft "oomph" and then he felt tiny hands patting his leg.

"Who are you?" he growled softly. The 'thing' gave a squeak of surprise and quickly crawled off. Not being satisfied, he followed the sound of the crawling creature.

"Alex, is that you?" the small creature cried out into the darkness.

'Alex? You mean there are more people in _my_ darkness?' he thought angrily. He didn't like people coming down to his home, his darkness. He didn't want anyone knowing that he still existed, that his pathetic soul was still tormented by the vision of his perfect angel.

"Yes Celia it is. Thank goodness you are both okay! Now, we got to figure...Celia, quit tugging on my arm. You're gonna pull me over." the girl named Alex said as she tried to stand up. Erik saw the dark outlines of three people, two had to be children and the other seemed older. Perhaps the children's mother or nanny. Whatever the reason, they had no right to be trespassing.

"But Alex, I hafta tell you something! We're not alone..." the younger girl, presumably named Celia told the elder girl.

Before the girl could respond, Erik drew himself up and decided to make his presence known. "Who are you and what are you doing down here!" His voice was extremely dark and foreboding.

He watched as the young woman stood, placing a small child on the ground. Turning around, she looked at him. "My name sir, is Alexandria Knoll. And I am not sure how we got down here. But I need to find some light to make sure my little sister and brother are uninjured." Alex stopped there, best not question the man right now. She would figure out where she was and how to get home later.

Erik looked at her and gave a low grunt. He let his options run through his mind while he stared at her. He could take her to the surface and ruin exposing himself. Not only that, but there was hardly any living quarters on the surface. All the staff, dancers, singers, and various other people who were part of the Opera House were being housed in the nearby hotels and inns. There was no available space at the current moment for another body. Madame Giry and the Ballet Rats were given the time off; same as the rest of the staff until the House was finished being rebuilt. The only other option, aside from throwing them to the street, was to keep them in his lair until the Opera House was functional. Even if he were to toss her to the streets, her and her two siblings would not survive a day, even three hours, out on the Parisian streets. Muggers, filthy men, and other riff-raff would be on them in a few seconds. No, it would be best if they were to stay in his lair until the Opera House was back in business. And if they were to obnoxious, he would threaten to throw them out on the streets. As long as they didn't interrupt with his lovely morphine fix, he would be fine.

"Very well, follow me." Erik told the trio, after a few minutes later. He side-stepped the young girl and stalked further into the depths of the Opera House.

"Excuse me sir, but could you wait? I have two six-year olds with me and we can't exactly see." Alex huffed.

The man paused and gave an angry sigh. She turned to look down at her younger siblings; or at least she hoped she was looking at them. "It's going to be okay you two. We're going to find some light then figure out where we are, how we got here, and how to get home. Okay?"

"But Alex, you know what mommy and daddy said about strangers. They told us to never trust a stranger." Ben quietly commented to her. She could imagine the look he was giving her, reprimanding and most likely scared. She kneeled down to the young boy and enveloped him in a hug, while whispering in his ear.

"Yes, well we need help and I'm not sure where we are. Besides, we could be stuck down here for quite sometime. I'm sure mommy and daddy wouldn't mind us following this man so we can get help." She stood up and faced the direction she had felt the man blow past her. "Now you two, give me your hands and don't worry. Sissy Alex will take care of you two, I promise." Both grasped Alex's outstretched hands and she slowly moved forward.

"Are you three ready?" Erik growled. His hand was beginning to shake harder, telling him he needed his morphine fix, lest his whole body began to convulse.

Alex brushed off his growl. This man seemed to have no decent nice bone in his body, he had shown nothing but hatred and contempt. He didn't even have the decency to ask if she was ok, let alone her brother and sister! "Yes dear sir we are quite ready." her voice was sickly sweet with sarcasm.

"Good, then follow me." He turned and started to stalk off.

"Aye, aye captain. Easier said than done." she grumbled. And if she wasn't mistaken, she swore she heard Celia giggle.

* * *

"Ow! Jesu Christe, what are we traveling down on? A freaking mountain!" Alex grumbled, as she tripped over yet another pit in the floor. She had long ago given up on trying to hold the twin's hands and had instead gone to carrying little Ben and creating a leash for young Celia to hold onto. It seemed easier that way, although her guide didn't like the fact that she had to stop to tie the leash to her loop in her pants. Thank god her belt was one of those scarf belts, it was much easier that way. Little Ben was much more comfortable in her arms, while Celia swung her make-shift leash back and forth and sang a little tune. 

"We're following the leader, the leader, the leader. We're following the leader, where ever he may go. Tee-dum, tee-dee, a-tiddlely-dum-tee-day..." she continued to sing the familiar song from Peter Pan.

"Would you keep that little girl quiet!" Erik growled, not bothering to turn around.

Alex just stuck her tongue out behind his back and then said over her should, "Celia, the mean old, frumpy man would like you to be quiet. It's grating on his nerves, not to mention it's most likely past his nap time." This caused a well earned giggle from both Ben and Celia and a snorted growl from the strange man in front of her.

"Alex, are we there yet?" Ben asked her, looking up from where he had his head positioned on her shoulder.

"Hmmm...good question Ben. Maybe the grumpy old man knows..." but before Alex could ask the man that lead them, the man bit out a no. "I guess we aren't there yet Ben."

"Oh." came Ben's soft reply. Then five minutes later, he asked the exact same question. Erik harrumphed and told the young boy that they were not there, but they were partially there. This seemed to placate the young boy...for about another ten minutes.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

Five minutes went by. "Are we there yet, now?"

A grounded "No." issued from in front of them.

Another five minutes passed without any sound, save for Celia's humming of 'Following the Leader.'

"How bout now? Are we there yet?"

Alex laughed silently. She swore she could hear the man grinding his teeth together in frustration. "No, we are not there yet."

And so the game of 'Are we there yet?' continued for another good fifteen minutes until the man finally turned around. "If you promise to keep quiet, I'll give you something sweet." This seemed to interest Ben and he kept quiet until they reached a small boat. "Right, you three climb in. The two smaller one's in the front while you sit closer to the back."

Alex looked at the man like he was a three-headed dragon. "You sure this is safe? I mean, I don't feel like going for a swim. Besides, who knows what lurks in the water." Alex shuddered at the thought of getting in that water and something slimy brushing against her legs.

"I am perfectly sure that this gondola is absolutely safe. I use it all the time and have yet to go for a _'swim'_." His voice was utterly sarcastic as he bit those words out.

"Fine, I'll take your word. Okay you two, up to the front. And don't rock the nice man's boat, you both don't have your swimmies and I really don't feel like jumping in to save your scrawny behinds." Alex joked with the two, who gave their nods of agreement. As soon as Alex made sure the twins were situated in the front, she climbed in next, and instead of meeting the hard wooden bottom of the boat, she met the softness of pillows. She felt the man step in behind her and then the rocking of the boat as it moved away from the shore. Utter silence came from the twins as they were being quiet so that they would receive a treat when they got to the man's home. Alex decided to make small-talk with the man behind her, it was after all common courtesy.

"So, do you have a name? I can't keep calling you sir all the time." she turned around to try to focus on the strange man.

"I..I have a name yes, but not one that I often tell people." the man said quietly. If Alex wasn't mistaken, it sounded like he was wounded.

"Like I said, I can't keeping calling you 'sir' or 'hey you!'. You know my name after all, it is only fair to allow me to know your name. You don't have to give me your last name, I'd be happy with just your first name." She tried coaxing him out of his hard, grumpy shell.

She heard him give a frustrated sigh and had to contain her excitement. If there was one thing she was good at, it was prying into someone's life. "My name is Erik. Be lucky that you are one of the few people who know my first name."

"Ah, I am honored you have bestowed such a gift upon me Erik. I shall treasure it immensely. Now, next question; how old are you?" She squinted in the pressing darkness, and saw that she had stumped the man. Erik looked straight ahead, not daring to look down at this girl who was trying to pry into his life. How old was he? He could never remember his birthday, and he hadn't celebrated his birthday for a long time. He thought long and hard before giving the strange girl his answer. "I am nine and twenty, I guess soon to be thirty."

"You guess? What a strange man you are. Well, if you must know I am twenty-two, shortly to be twenty-three in a few short weeks."

"I'm six!" piped up Celia from the front of the boat.

"So am I!" Ben added to the mix.

Alex laughed at the two. "Yes, you two nutcases are six. Now be quiet, otherwise Mr. Erik won't give you anything sweet to eat!" She smiled and turned back to look at the man who stood above her. Whatever wall she tried to break down had mysteriously rebuilt it's self. No matter, he would break and crumble within a few days. Everyone had a wall that had to be broken, and Alex would make sure his would break.

A few minutes later, the boat bumped onto a shore, and Alex felt her breath leave her body in a silent gasp. This man's home, for surely it was a home, was gorgeous beyond belief. There were blood red curtains hanging onto the walls, that were stone. The stone floor was smooth and bare, save for a few rugs that were splattered here and there. In the center of the room sat an organ, with busts of what must have been different composers upon it. It sat up on what one would think as a stone pedestal, with stairs leading up to the organ. There were candelabra's surrounding the room, all the candles were lit giving the room a warm, yet dark, gothic glow about it. There sat a desk with a chair to the left of the organ on the main floor. To the right of the organ was another pair of four stairs that must have led to a bedroom or two. On the opposite side of the desk, was three different hallways branching off, leading to what must have been different areas of the house. All in all, this home gave off the air of a bachelor pad, a gorgeous

yet lonely bachelor pad. The twins scrambled out of the boat and raced towards the organ.

"Hey! You two, don't you dare..." but Erik didn't get the words out fast enough for a resounding boom was heard through out the cavern as the kids pushed on the keys. Erik saw nothing but red, he stalked towards his organ and grabbed the two miscreants by their collars.

"I said not to touch the organ." he hissed at the two, who looked scared beyond all reason.

"Hey! Don't you dare handle my brother and sister like that!" Alex bounded forward, and took them out of Erik's grasp.

"I wouldn't have to handle them if they wouldn't touch my stuff! They are nothing but little pests." he growled right back at her.

"Listen, as much as I'd like to agree with you, you just can't handle my little siblings like that! They are six and are inquisitive kids. So, bugger off!" she looked down at the two who were trembling like leaves.

"It's okay you two. Let me look to make sure there are no deep cuts or anything, and then me and Mr. Erik will discuss what we're going to do to get back home and where we are." she whispered the calming words to her young siblings. Giving the two a quick look-over then proclaiming that they were as healthy as oxes, she stood up. "Okay, where's the kitchen? In order for me to keep these two occupied I need to give them a snack. It'll keep them entertained while we chat." She saw Erik give a quick nod, and that's when she noticed his face. Half of it was incredibly handsome. Everything from his strong jaw to his eyes, which were glowing a bluish-green at the moment. The right side of his face, however, was encased in a white mask. It was strange, those eyes seemed familiar, and so did his voice when he spoke to her. It was like she had met him before, or at least come across him. _'Weird.'_ she thought and let her eyes roam the rest of his body. There was no doubt about it, this man was a god. His legs were dressed in a nice pair of black pants, he had a white shirt tucked into his trousers with a dark maroon waistcoat on. On top of the waistcoat was a black jacket that seemed to fit him to snugly, and around his neck was perched a tie of some sort. Returning her gaze to his handsome face, she felt a small blush creep up her neck as she saw he was looking at her.

He cocked his eyebrow as if to say 'Are you done now?' and she looked away. "So, where is this kitchen?" she asked, clearing the small ball of spit that had accommodated itself there.

"This way, Mademoiselle Knoll." he led the way, and she called to the two small children to follow her.

Alex followed Erik down a hallway that branched off from the main cavern. She entered a rather quaint, yet male kitchen, by her terms. In the middle of the room sat a wooden table with four wooden chairs, that took up most of the space. Nestled in the corner of the room was an old wood-burning stove, that had a black pipe leading up from the belly of the stove to disappear into the rock wall. Cabinets and shelves lined the walls and stored various non-perishable items. Beneath the cabinets and shelves was a line of counters. A door that was beside the wood-burning stove led to what Alex assumed would be a walk-in pantry or perhaps and ice box.

"What do you children like to eat?" Erik asked them, as he leaned against one of the counters.

"Well, do you have chocolate?" Celia asked thoughtfully.

Erik shook his head, and a crestfallen "Oh." issued from Celia's mouth. "What about cookies?" Ben asked next.

Again, Erik shook his head and both kids looked crestfallen. Celia furrowed her brows, thinking heavily about what else they would eat as snacks at home. "Do you have peppermint sticks or licorice sticks?"

"I don't have peppermint sticks but I do have licorice sticks." Erik turned and opened one of the cabinets. He shuffled a few things around until he brought out a tin can. He always kept an earnest supply of licorice sticks in case his voice got sore. Sucking on them always helped him gain his voice back or sooth his throat. He pulled out two twigs of licorice, capped the tin can and replaced it back in the cabinet. Turning back around, he handed the two licorice roots to the small children.

Ben sniffed his root hesitantly while Celia stuck it in her mouth and bit down on it. She hastily withdrew it and made a face of obvious disgust. "We're not rabbits, we don't eat roots." she muttered to her brother, who snickered.

"You aren't supposed to bite it little ones but rather suck on them. It helps soothe your throats if they are sore and inflamed." Erik bit back rather sarcastically.

"Well, now that my little angels have something to keep them occupied, let's go somewhere and discuss our...situation." Alex said, clapping her hands together before Celia could give a nice retort back. Although her sister may have been six, she learned from the best when it came to comebacks and witty remarks; herself.

Erik nodded and allowed Alex to lead the way out of the kitchen and back to the main cavern. She took a seat on one of the plush chairs and watched as Erik took a seat directly across from her.

"So, where exactly are we?" Alex asked him, looking around her.

"You are in my home, which is underneath the Opera Populaire." Erik stated simply, as if it were a fact.

Alex knew enough from world history and her french class to know where the Opera Populaire was. "So, we're in Paris, France. Okay, next question will be a little bit unbelievable, but what year is it?"

Erik steepled his fingers together and looked over the tops of them. "The year is 1872 and if you would like the exact date it is May 4th." He watched as Alex let out a heavy sigh and muttered, "I knew we were in a different time period."

"If you don't mind Mademoiselle Knoll, I have a few questions of my own to ask you." He leaned forward, wanting to get this done and over with. There was a needle and a bottle of morphine calling his name and he intended to answer that call.

"Fire away Captain." she said, leaning back into the soft chair.

"Where exactly are you from?"

"We were from Antis, California. We were all born at different times. I was born on May 14th, Celia and Ben were born on June 23rd. However, my year was 1984 and Ben and Celia's was 2000. As you can see, we were born approximentaly 100 some odd years after this time period. You may want to get comfortable, because you're in for a long tale." Alex took a deep breath and launched into her tale.

An hour later, with both Celia and Ben sitting on her lap, Alex had finished up her tale and watched as Erik looked at their stuff with fascination. "What do you call this?" he pointed to a white, rectangular box.

"That would be my iPod, it stores my favorite music. I guess I must have forgotten to put it in after I was finished with my test." Alex said, looking thoughtful. They still haven't found a way to get her and her siblings home yet, but Alex really didn't care. As long as they were safe from her parents, she couldn't be happier.

"Lex, can we go color?" Ben asked quietly, shifting his legs in her lap.

"Sure, go empty your book bag, and you guys can color in the kitchen. But behave, otherwise no more snacks for you." she told them as they wiggled off her lap. She saw Celia give her a look that said 'Like we'd want any more.' before they went back into the hallway that led to the kitchen.

"Erik, how do we get back?" Alex asked quietly.

"Mademoiselle, from what you told me I believe you can not go back. You were sent here for a reason, whether it be for your own purposes or for someone else's. You will just have to accept that fact. Do you know how to cook?" He asked her, looking at her intently.

"I can pass easily by on my cooking, why? Are you hungry?" she asked, throwing him a smirk.

"Well, I'd also assume you are too." He raised an eyebrow towards her, and she gave a sigh.

"You assume correctly. I guess I'll go start dinner. But I'll let you know, I won't warn you what you may be eating." She stood up and meandered back towards the kitchen. Erik gave a sigh of utter relief to be totally alone. He stood up and made his way for his work desk. Opening one of the side drawers, he drew out a needle, a small bottle, and a black silk ribbon. Plunging the needle into the rubber top, he flipped the bottle upside-down and pulled on the plunger of the needle. The thick serum flooded into the needle's chamber and Erik stopped when the plunger nearly fell out of the chamber. Laying the needle down on the wooden table, he shrugged off his jacket and unbuttoned the sleeves to his shirt. Rolling his left sleeve up above the elbow, he grabbed the black ribbon and looped it around the area above his elbow. Giving it a sharp tug, he continued to tug on the ribbon until a well-worn vein popped up. Grabbing the needle, he slowly put it into the vein, wincing in pain as it poked through his skin. The wince immediately changed into one of contentedness as the wonderful serum flooded out of the chamber and into his veins. Yanking the needle out of his arm, he wiped the drop of blood that accompanied it and unwound the ribbon from his arm. Rolling his sleeve back down, he buttoned it around his wrist and put away his needle, the bottle, and ribbon before making his way back to his chair. Sitting down on it, he allowed his mind to wander over it's usual target. Christine's pristine face swam in front of his vision.

"Christine? What are you doing here?" he asked, but she merely gave her heart-warming smile and giggled. She walked gracefully down towards the shore where she dipped her toe in. Finding the water to her liking, she took a few steps back and then ran forward. Launching herself into the air, she did a graceful dive into the lake. Turning herself around, she motioned for Erik to come join her. Erik stood up and tore at his cravet waistcoat, and shirt. Getting rid of these articles of his clothing, he splashed into the lake, trying to reach his beloved. But she kept swimming away from him, swimming into deeper water. And he followed her like a lost puppy, soon he lost his footing and was treading water. His arms began to get heavy from his exertion, his movements slowed down and he slowly sank below the water. He didn't even hear Alex's shriek of terror but merely mumbled one word before being fully enveloped by the water. "Christine."

* * *

hmmm...what will happen...will Erik drown or will Alex save him? Tune in next time! bwahahaha...i 3 writingcliffies...review please! (and i might try to have another chapter up by the weekend...)


	4. Confrontations

Oh dear...I am so sorry people! I know i said i would update about a few weeks ago...but college life can be forever changing...so, here's the next chapter! again, sorry for the delay...XD

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone from POTO...except for Erik that is...he haunts my dreams...literally...don't ask...yeah, everyone save for those i deem to make up belong to Leroux...**

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Chapter 3

Alex hummed a tune while she looked around the kitchen. Opening the door that was beside the wood-stove, she looked in and shivered. The ice room was freezing cold and there were various slabs of meat all over the place. "Hey Ben and Celia, what do you want to eat?" Alex shouted over her shoulder.

The twins looked at each other before shouting as one, "Steak please!" Alex giggled and quickly darted inside.

"Wow, Erik went through the hassle of labeling each slab of meat? Hmmm...ah here we are!" she picked up a paper-wrapped slab of meat labeled bifteck She scurried out of the ice house and put the meat on the counter. Looking at the wood stove, she sighed and sat down next to it. Picking up some wood, she threw it into the stove. She looked beside the basket that contained the wood and tried to find the flint and tinder needed to start the fire. Finding none, she stood up and told the twins she'd be right back. Walking out of the kitchen, she made her way back to the main cavern.

"Erik, do you know..."but she stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Erik slowly slip under the water. A blood-curdling scream came from her mouth and she quickly jumped into action. She ran down to the edge of the lake and dived into the water not even caring that the twins had come running at her scream. The icy cold water sliced through her skin, but she swam towards the spot where she had seen him go under not caring how cold it was. Treading water she took a deep breath and went underneath the murky water. 'Think clearly, it can't be that deep. Just keep swimming downwards and you'll run into him.' she thought to herself as she swam downwards. A flash of white showed through the murkiness and she quickly swam to it. Her ears were ringing and spots were forming before her eyes, but she wasn't going to go up for air especially since she just found Erik's body. She grabbed Erik's arm and yanked him towards the surface. 'Just a little further, almost...there...' Together, her and Erik's unconscious form broke the surface of the water. Alex began to breathe deeply, coughing while she swam towards the shore of the lake. She stumbled as she gained her footing on the rocky shore and dragged Erik up the shore.

She needed to do CPR right away. She placed her hands on his chest, praying to the Lord Almighty she remembered her training way back in middle school. "Compress seven times then breathe into him." she muttered to herself. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Breathe. She repeated it one more time before Erik took a breath of his own. He took a gasping breath, but a breath all the same. Then Alex quickly turned him on his side as water came spewing from his stomach and lungs. He gasped a few more times before he slowly slipped off to a sleepy state.

"I don't even get a thanks." she grumbled as she pushed her sopping wet hair out of her face. "Next task is to get you to a bed, and out of those wet clothes. Lord knows with my luck, you'll get sick." she sat back on her heels and looked at the large man in front of her. He probably outweighed her a great deal. Maybe if she flung his arm around her shoulder, she could take most of his weight and drag him to a bedroom. That seemed like the best option that she could do. Looking up, she saw that Ben and Celia were standing there, watching her. Ben had his thumb shoved into his mouth and Celia broke her gaze when she saw Alex staring at her.

"You two go back to the kitchen, I'll be there soon. I have to take Mr. Erik to his bedroom." The two reluctantly turned and shuffled back into the kitchen. Alex stuck his arm around her shoulders, and stood slowly. Slowly she walked towards where the organ was, his nice shoes sliding against the stone floors. She took the stairs, one at a time and then dragged him in front of the organ. They passed it and she dragged him up the next set of stairs, this time she had to watch to make sure she didn't hit his head on the stone wall or hit her back on the many candelabra's that lined the stairs. She dragged him into a room that was just as gorgeous as the main cavern. It was lined with the same blood red curtains that adorned those in the main cavern, but now a soft rug lay on the floor rather than the Persian rugs that were in the main cavern. A beautiful swan bed sat against the one wall, the bedcovers matching the curtains. And she gazed around, she noticed that this room seemed more...feminine. Deciding that it would have to do until he awoke, she made her way to the bed as quickly as possible.

After some struggling on her part to get the large man onto the bed, she quickly tore at his waistcoat. The buttons slid easily from their holes, and she peeled this layer off of him. She then went to the buttons of his shirt, only to find that he had none, but rather a bow around his neck. She untied it with chilly fingers, and began to tug the sopping wet material from his trousers. It released with a sickening slurp and she began to tug it up his chest. She was having trouble pulling up his arms, when she noticed that there were buttons around the wrist. Grabbing one arm she undid the button and then took the other arm and did the exact same thing. She finally divested him of his shirt and gasped. His chest was well defined and...gorgeous. There was no other word for it. His abs looked like you could do wash on them. She had to swipe a hand across her mouth to catch any drool that might drop on him. Her hands, which were now shaking, slowly made their way to his soaked pants. She undid the buttons and then had a urge of decency. She grabbed the covers and drew it across his lap. Walking down to the end of the bed, she tugged off his shoes and rolled off his socks. Then grabbing the bottom hem of his pants, she gave a forceful tug and the pants moved down. She gave two more tugs then stumbled backwards as the pants came off his legs. Closing her eyes, she hurriedly covered the rest of his body and made sure he was tucked in. Taking the sopping wet clothes, she hung them across the back of a chair and then turned to look around the room.

"If this room was made for a female, there should be some female clothing nearby." she muttered to herself. She began pulling random drawers open and found a white cotton peasant shirt and a black skirt. Scurrying into the small bathroom, she drew the curtain across the doorway and quickly stripped out of her clothing. She pulled on the peasant shirt and skirt, shivering slightly as the cold cavern air contacted her damp skin. Picking up her wet clothing, she laid it across the old clawed-foot bath tub and pushed the curtain aside. She grabbed a pair of slippers that she had found in the closet and made her way out to the kitchen. As she passed the work desk, a thought popped into her head. 'If the tinder and the flint wasn't in the kitchen, perhaps it's in his work desk.' She walked over to the desk and looked around. Would he be mad that she was opening his personal desk or going through his private stuff? Well, if he wanted a warm meal then she was going to have to open it. She hooked her fingers in the well-worn grooves and pulled the main drawer open. There, laying in the middle of the drawer was the tinder and flint. But that wasn't what caught her eye, it was the metallic glint of a needle that really caught her eye. Drawing it out, she looked at it and then noticed a bottle. Dragging that out, she made out the sketchy french and nearly dropped it. The bottle contained morphine and from the needle, it looked like it had been used recently. When Erik awoke, she would have a nice talk to him. If they were going to be staying here, he wouldn't be able to do drugs with her little brother and sister around. Grabbing the flint and tinder, she tucked the bottle and needle back into the drawer and slammed it shut. She stalked off to the kitchen and started to get dinner on the stove.

* * *

Erik shivered and groaned as he drew up a hand to rub his temples. His head was pounding like someone had set a drum of some sort in his head and they kept pounding on it. He sat up and the red velvet blanket slid down his chest. He looked down, startled to see that he was completely naked underneath. Odd, he didn't remember getting undressed then again, he hardly remembered anything when he indulged in morphine. He dragged a hand, while the other kept a tight grip on the blanket. His hand met damp hair which caused him to bring his hand out of his hair. Maybe he had become over-heated and his hair was damp from sweating. Looking around the room, he noticed where he was. He was in _her_ room, the sacred room of his lost love. What caused him to stumble into this room? He never came into this room, he had forbidden himself to even step over the threshold ever since that fateful night. He swung his legs to the side of the bed and put his feet on the soft carpet. Grabbing the velvet blanket, he wrapped it tighter across his waist and slowly stood up.

He grabbed his shirt only to find it still soaking wet, as were his pants. Muttering a long string of curses, he shuffled towards the doorway. This had to be the worse day in his entire life for a long time. First he was forced to take in a woman and her two siblings now he had to travel across the main cavern to his own room to grab a fresh set of clothes. Could life get any worse? He slowly shuffled out into the main cavern and down the stairs and as he made his way out into the cavern, he heard Alex's voice telling the young ones to stay there that she was going to go see if he was awake. Damn now he had to shuffle across the floor faster. He had just made it to his work desk when Alex walked out into the cavern.

"Well, I see someone is awake. Have a nice drug-induced sleep?" she asked him acidly.

"I..erm..well...I need some clothes before we talk." he gestured to the blanket that was wrapped around most of his body.

"Oh believe me, we'll talk and it won't be a nice conversation that you'll want to hear." she turned around and started to walk back to kitchen when she stopped and called over her shoulder, "Hurry up, Ben and Celia are hungry."

Erik stared at her back with an open mouth. How did she know about his morphine fix? The only other way she would have know was...he quickly shuffled as fast as his wrap would allow him to towards his work desk. Jerking the drawer open he gave an inward sigh to see his morphine and needle still there. Slamming the drawer shut he made his way to his room and pulled on some clothes.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Ben and Celia shifted impatiently in their seats. A stomach, most likely Celia's, gave a frustrated growl and Celia glanced down at it guiltily.

"Where's Mr. Erik, my stomach is telling me to feed it and I can't disobey my stomach." Celia said quietly.

"Don't worry, he'll be here soon enough." She said to her sister. "If he's not...I'm gonna drag him out by his ear and make a fool out of him." this was muttered to herself, but a giggle from Celia and Ben told her that they had heard her.

No sooner had she muttered her threat, then the one in question came into the door, blinking in the harsh brightness of the gas candles. He shielded his eyes and made his way to his chair. Pulling it out, he slumped down into the chair and immediately grabbed a slice of steak. He looked up and saw two little gaping mouths and a harsh glare coming from Alex. Slowly he dropped his fork and leaned back in his chair. "Is there a reason why we aren't eating right away?" His mouth was still dry from the effects with morphine.

"I believe it's called saying prayer before digging in." She tried to not let her anger show, she always had a devil of a time hiding her anger and sarcasm. The look Erik sent her told her she wasn't succeeding at her plan.

"I do not believe in any higher deities, Mademoiselle. I have long given up on them." He gave her a sullen look.

"Well, that's a shame because where I am from, we always say grace before we eat. So you'll just have to sit there sulking and wait while we each say our own prayers." She told him sharply. Erik merely looked at her as if she was crazy that she would tell him such a thing. She looked at Ben and Celia who had their eyes tightly closed and hands clasped firmly together. "Right you two, I'll go first and then whoever wants to go next can then I'll end it as well." Here she took a deep breath before continuing. "Almighty Father, please bless the food that I have prepared at my own risk. Keep my little brother and sister safe in Your Hands and watch over them in this strange new world." She looked to her right and left, waiting for one of the twins to pick up the prayer.

"Dear Heavenly Father, please keep us safe from any harm that may befall us while we are here and please look over mommy and daddy." Little Ben said so softly, Alex had to make sure she heard him correctly.

"Dear God, thank you for sending us here. Please keep a safe eye on 'Lex and please turn Mr. Erik's heart from being a grump to a fun man. Oh! And please keep my belly safe from 'Lex's cooking." Celia commented and a snort of laughter could be heard from Ben's mouth as well as a loud 'Hmph.' from Alex. "Thank you God for this food and Bless us each and every day. In your name we pray, Amen." Alex looked up to see Erik already cutting into his meat and rolled her eyes. At least the man had managed to survive through the prayer, she took a piece of meat off the tray and begun to cut it up for Ben and Celia.

"Hey you two, hand me your plates and I'll load them up for you." she asked as she cut into the tender meat. The inside was perfectly pink and Alex felt a swell of pride course through her. She had cooked the meat long enough, now no one would suffer from food poisoning.

"So, Erik what do you do?" she asked as she divided the food between her brother and sister. Erik merely looked at her before lifting another piece of meat to his lips.

"I compose." he looked at her through hooded lashes.

"Ah, and I am to assume that you compose music, correct?" she refused to look at him, something about him made her heart go whacking against her chest at an irregular rhythm.

"You assume correctly. I not only merely compose when the mood strikes me, but I have also been known to create buildings and I know a little bit of magic. And you Mademoiselle, what did you do where you are from?"

"I cared for my brother and sister while my parents were at work and I danced. I finished college early and didn't care to go on in my area of study, so I cared for my siblings instead." she now stuck a piece of meat in her own mouth and nearly groaned at how well her cooking tasted. She knew it would pay to watch the cooking channel while Celia had practiced her piano every day.

"Is there anything special about you?" he questioned her, trying to pry out any of her ghosts that she would like to have kept hidden.

"No." she said in a clipped tone.

"Yes there is Alex! You have those dreams that can make you see the future!" Celia piped up from Alex's left.

Alex threw a glare at her younger sister who merely shrugged it off. "You are a fortune teller then?" Alex sighed in response to Erik's question.

"I am not a fortune teller, I just have these dreams that seem so bloody real that I feel like I'm actually there. If I had the gift of foresight, then we wouldn't be here now would we?" It was her turn to look pointedly at Erik, who merely muttered something unrecognizable under his breath.

The rest of dinner went uneventful and quietly. Alex cleared the table and placed the dirty dishes in the small tub that served as a sink. She had the twins pull out their homework and proceed to work on it, telling them that her and Erik were going to have another talk. She fixed Erik with a piercing stare and shooed him out of the kitchen.

"Now, where can we talk that we won't be heard by them." she said, her anger slowly rising to the surface of her voice. Erik led the way to another small room and walked right in. Alex followed and shut the door. She took a deep calming breath before turning around, she needed all her wits about her. "What, in bloody hell were you thinking!" she practically screamed. So much for her wits.

"I merely indulged in some morphine to calm my nerves." Erik stated boredly.

"Oh, yeah your nerves. Which is why I had to practically save your life before you drowned. Had I not come out in time, who knows what might have happened. You would have been dead and the three of us would have been stuck here with no way to get out and no where to go!" Alex said pointedly.

"Are you saying that I fell into the lake?" he questioned her. He didn't remember going into the lake, maybe she was mistaken.

"Yeah, you were going under when I came out into the cavern and all I heard you say was 'Christine' and then you went under. I nearly died when I tried to drag your behind out of that cursed lake. And what for? Nothing! I didn't even get a thank-you! I don't know what your problem is, but you can no longer take your morphine. I want you to destroy it all; in front of me. I do not want Ben and Celia exposed to those kinds of things. Hell, I don't even know how you act on morphine! I mean, you're a right old codger most of the time so you on drugs is probably ten times worse, if there is such a thing!" She started to pace, which was her habit when she was worked up. She had to release energy and pacing seemed to help her work out her thoughts.

Erik looked at the girl pacing in front of him. She had rescued his life when he went chasing his drug-created Christine? She had sacrificed her life for his because she was worried for her well-being as well as her siblings? Had she no clue as to who he was, what had happened to him, and the reason he had to take his morphine? Now she wanted him to destroy his only thing that kept him sane, other than his music! "You, Mademoiselle, are clearly out of your mind! I will not destroy something that is so precious to me just because I had a little accident while under the morphine's spell." he grumbled.

"If you do not destroy it, so help me God I will! In fact..." her sentence petered off and she stalked towards the door and threw it open. She dashed out into the hall and Erik quickly followed her, knowing where she would go. He was correct when she flung open the work desk drawer and pulled out the morphine and needle.

"Are you going to destroy it or do I have to take matters into my own hands and do it?" she asked him giving him a glare that could most likely freeze a person in their tracks. She was bluffing him, he could tell it by her face. He gave her a sneer and said "No, I'm not."

"Fine." and with that she dropped the needle to the ground and watched Erik's face contort with horror as it shattered into tiny little pieces. Next, she drew the bottle of morphine above her head and threw it to the ground with all her might. Erik's face got another shade of pale as the liquid soaked into the ground. He rushed forward and looked down at his feet, hoping that some of the liquid still remained so he could pick it up off the ground.

"Now that deed is done, you will swear to me that you will never bring that accursed stuff back here. As long as my siblings and I inhabit this little area, you will not go near a bottle or needle of morphine again. Understand? If I find out that you have sneaked some back in, I will find it and destroy it just like I destroyed this one." she turned to walk away when Erik's hand grabbed her wrist and spun it around.

"If you thought I was bad today, you're lives have just gotten worse mademoiselle. Be prepared for a living hell until I am completely over the withdrawal phrase." He stalked off to his organ and sat down to bang upon it. Alex merely shook her head and headed back to the kitchen. This week was going to be hell, she could just feel it.

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Dum dum dum! She broke Erik's morphine bottle and needle...oh no, everyone hole yourself up! Erik's gonna be in a BAD mood...XD...if ya like this chapter, please review...i really didn't know what i was gonna do...i have figured out the ending...kinda weird, but i know where i want to go with it...but..yeah...sorry, i'll allow you all to REVIEW! bwahaha... 


	5. Dreams haunt us all

I am terribly sorry! I have finals this week, two left (Chem 11 and Bio 222 aka Genetics) and then I shall be free from college for a good...month and a half until i got to England for my study abroad program..XD...but, yeah...here's the next chappie! and someone commented that Alex seems really forward and like she "owns" the place...sorry, she's being modeled after myself. I tend to go to a new place and act like i own it...habit of having a sister who's 10 years older than yourself...anywho...yeah, sorry if she seems so bossy or such...

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely POTO...i own alex and any character i deem to create in my mind...and a sad mind it is..._

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Chapter 4

Two weeks and Erik was still as bitchy as a woman going through PMS as ever. He snapped at nothing at all and complained about everything. Alex seriously considered trying to find a piece of chocolate to give him so it would calm his nerves, but gave up on trying to navigate her way out of his home. Dreams still haunted her nights as she slept, but instead of the glorious dreams she had about the man in the skull mask, they turned to darker things.

_She was running down a dark hall, curtains on either side of her. The smell of oil paint was prevalent in the air as was the smell of stone being grinded upon. She looked over her shoulder, as a man in a formal kit came after her. He wore a top hat and a black long cape that swirled around his ankles. His eyes were icy blue as a frozen pond and his hair was as golden as the sun on a bright winter's day. Everything about him spoke of danger. She tripped and stumbled over her feet, landing flat on her belly; the air completely knocked from her lungs. Suddenly the man was behind her, laughing manically and then he kneeled down and whispered, "Do you really think you could run forever mon petite ange? I would catch up with you sooner or later. Now come, stand up and allow me to make you mine...forever." He grabbed her wrist in a bruising grasp and hauled her to her feet. He knew, knew about how she was from the future for he was as well. She could feel it radiate off of him and he despised the future, she had no idea as how he came to be there. But she knew him, he was familiar somehow. She had seen him before and now she was going to be repaid in the most horrible way. He threw her into a chair and lifted a knife above his head. "Good bye sweeting." he said quietly before plunging the knife into her body. _

Alex awoke, her body in a cold sweat and her hands shaking. "It was a dream, a horrible evil dream." She kept repeating the words to herself, but she could still feel his breath on her face, the cold metallic feel of the knife as it pierced her skin, and the insurmountable pain as her life left her body for good. She placed a shaking hand on her erratic heartbeat that raced beneath her chest. _'Deep breath in, deep breath out. You just have to keep breathing deep breaths.' _she told herself, the adrenalin still racing through her veins. It's what caused her hands to shake and her body to tremble in fear as she glanced around. Thankfully, her brother and sister were sleeping in a separate room from her so she wouldn't disturb them so she could go get a glass of wine. She moved silently out of the small bedroom and towards the kitchen, the darkness of the hall pressing in around her. She heard Erik pounding away in the main cavern on his organ.

"Doesn't that man ever sleep?" she asked no one in particular. It seemed that all he ever did was sit at that bloody organ and pound on it. He rarely came to eat with them and merely ignored them. The only thing he had told both her and the twins was to stay out of the room with the swan-like bed. She padded silently to the kitchen and grabbed a small wine glass. Pulling out one of the bottles she had uncorked earlier that evening for dinner, she poured herself a good amount. Swirling it around in the glass, she drained it within a few minutes and felt the tell-tale signs of it's warmth curling in her belly. Pouring herself another glass, she re-corked the bottle and put it back on the shelf. Grabbing her glass, she padded back out into the hallway and was nearly knocked over by Erik.

"Oh! Terribly sorry about that, I have to watch where I'm going. I'm quite clumsy when it comes to walking around in the darkness." she told him, as she dabbed at the small spot of wine that had splashed upon his shirt. As she dabbed at the spot, hoping that he would break the awkward silence, she noticed that his body was extremely rigid; as if it wasn't used to being touched.

"It is quite alright mademoiselle. It'll take you a while to get used to walking around in such darkness. That is, unless you want to carry a candle with you." his tone of voice seemed to be mocking her. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go relieve myself." he stepped away from her continuous dabbing and she suddenly had the urge to ask him something.

"Erik, who are you truly?" she heard him stop and give what sounded like a wearied sigh.

"I am, mademoiselle, the infamous Phantom of the Opera. A musical genius that was sent to live in the bowels of the earth, shunned by man-kind. Now go back to bed." he continued on his way while Alex still stood there. The phantom of the opera? Why in bloody hell did that sound so familiar, as if she had heard it before. She shook her head and guided herself back to her room. She placed the small glass next to her bed and crawled in, pulling the covers around her lap. Sleep was now completely evading her, so she decided to mull over her thoughts. Slowly slipping the wine, she tried to think of where she had heard those words before. The warmth of the wine soon took her under it's spell and she drifted off to sleep. No longer were her dreams haunted by a man with icy blue eyes and blonde hair but with her friends, and a movie...a movie that seemed all too familiar.

* * *

"I say she's dead." Ben commented thoughtfully, looking at his slumbering older sister.

"No...she can't be dead! She's still breathing." Celia pointed towards her chest.

"But it's not going up and down very fast. Maybe she's on the verge of dying!" Ben said, and a slight giggle escaped Celia's lips.

"Maybe we should have Mr. Erik rescue her from her death, like Sleeping Beauty!" this earned a laugh from Ben as the two collapsed on Alex's bed. Alex merely groaned into her pillow and cracked one eye open.

"I don't need anyone attempting to kiss me to awake me from my slumber. I just need you two attacking me while I sleep." This earned a bounce upon her bed from her brother and sister.

"Come on 'Lex, I'm hungry. My belly is telling me to feed it, and you can't deny the belly." Celia said, continuing to bounce near Alex's leg. Alex gave a frustrated sigh and sat up, running one hand through her hair as the other rubbed an eye.

"I'm up, you heathens. Now, vacate the room so I can get dressed." the two bounded out of the room and Alex stepped behind a dressing screen. As she pulled on a shirt and pair of black pants, her memory drifted back to her dream she had.

"_Hey Alex, come on! The previews are going to start!" Jessie, one of her few friends, cried as Alex tried to hurry up and pay for her Coke and popcorn._

"_I'm coming!" she grabbed a straw and shoved it into her drink. Grabbing the small bag of popcorn and the drink, she ran into the small line and shoved her ticket to the attendant. He tore it and the two scurried down the hallway and into the fourth theater on their left._

"_So what movie did you drag me to see?" Alex whispered as they sat down on the squeaky chairs._

"_You'll see. I've already seen it twice." Jessie told her, yanking open her bag of skittles. One bounced on the floor and the two looked at each other. "It wasn't me."_

_They giggled and waited patiently through the previews, turning to each other saying "I want to see that." or commenting on how good it looks. The theater got darker and the Warner Brother's symbol flashed across the screen. Haunting music filled the air and a candle came into view and lit itself._

That was all Alex could remember, because right before the title could appear is when her brother and sister woke her up. She knew that the dream she had was of some importance to her, something that related to her life currently. She slipped into her Vans and made her way out into the main cavern, still pondering on her dream. That flame, it was the thing that lit up the title. The title to a movie and a movie she had only seen once. Somehow that movie dealt with another dream she had had.

"Come on, I know you're in there." she muttered to the tiny thought bubble that drifted within her head. Smacking her head with her palm several times, she tried to remember what the movie was called.

"'Lex, are you coming? Celia threatened to eat me if you didn't hurry up. I think she may be serious." Ben's voice drifted from the hallway that led towards the kitchen.

"I'm getting there." Alex called back before muttering, "Just trying to get through this damn mess." She maneuvered around a yellow piece of parchment that lay in the middle of the floor. That's when she decided that after breakfast, she'd start in here and clean. Lord knew that it was well needed; there were papers strewn everywhere. Across the antique organ, across the work desk, crumpled up into balls that lay in patterns across the floor. There were discarded shirts, a wooden bowl sat here or a china mug lay there. This man definitely needed help in tidying up, that and she had finally had it with tripping over objects that lay in her path. She walked into the kitchen to find her siblings staring at each other. Yep, this was going to be a long breakfast.

* * *

"Breakfast is served my dear children." Alex said, placing a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hashed potatoes in front of them. The two looked at her with expectant looks.

"Are we going to eat now or should we wait for you and Mr. Erik?" Celia asked.

"Go ahead and eat. I could hear your poor stomach from where I was standing at the stove. I think I might skip breakfast and who knows if Mr. Erik is even coming to breakfast. However, since I really don't know, I made him a plate up anyways." She looked at the third plate that she had prepared and the coffee that sat beside it. The two dug into their food while Alex wandered out into the main cavern. She might as well leave a note in case the man thought it was her's and didn't touch the plate. Finding a spare piece of parchment among the large mess; which Alex considered an amazing feat, she quickly grabbed a quill and scribbled out a note. Walking back into the kitchen, she placed the plate, coffee, and note at the spot Erik had sat last night. She meandered back out into the cavern and looked at the mess that awaited her. First thing was first, and that was to pick up all the papers that lay across the floor. She sighed, got down on her knees, and begun to pick up the mess.

"I know a secret." Celia whispered to Ben as they continued to eat by themselves.

"Really? What's the secret?" Ben asked his sister.

"I can't tell ya, otherwise it wouldn't be a secret." Celia commented to her brother, shoving more eggs into her mouth.

"Please? I can keep a secret, I promise!" Ben laid down his fork and looked at his sister with the same puppy eyes that she used on him when she wanted him to do something.

"Promise not to tell Alex?" Celia said, very solemnly for a six-year old.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" Ben recited the chant that every six-year old knew.

"Fine. I think Alex likes Mr. Erik." Celia smiled.

Ben was taken aback by the information his sister had just told him. "Nuh uh!" but Celia merely nodded her head, and Ben looked at the doorway and then back to his sister. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because, she's always like mommy when mommy argues with daddy. And we know how much mommy likes daddy. They love each other, and tell each other that everyday at least a billion times!" Celia spread her arms wide in the air to show how much her parents loved each other. "And you know what else?" Ben was silent and Celia continued, "I think Mr. Erik might like Alex."

Ben giggled at that sentence and Celia looked at him like he had a bug on his face. "I just got the bestest idea ever!"

Celia's face lit up with that said. "Oh...what is it?"

Ben looked over his shoulder before continuing, "We should help them fall in love! I mean, if mommy and daddy can argue like that and still love each other then why not Alex and Mr. Erik?" Celia nodded in agreement. "Ben, I think that's the bestest idea you came up with since sticking that frog in Nanny Jan's pudding." The twins giggled in remembrance at what they had done to their poor nanny.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny that causes you two to laugh?" Erik's voice boomed behind Ben.

"Nothing!" the two jumped out of their chairs and raced back to their rooms to start working on their ingenious plan.

"Children." Erik grumbled and caught sight of the plate of food and cup of coffee that sat on the table. Beside the plate, lay a note. Erik picked it up and skimmed the note.

_Erik,_

_I didn't know if you'd eat breakfast today or not. Consider it an apology for spilling wine all over you last night. If you need a hot cup of coffee, just dump the contents in your mug down the sink and refill it from the container that is sitting on the stove. If you need me for any reason, I'm in the main cavern tidying up._

_Alex_

Erik looked down at the plate and coffee and sat down. He then put his head between his hands and felt the warm salty tears that coursed down his one cheek and over his leather mask. This girl, who didn't know him that well, made him breakfast and as an apology for pouring wine on him the previous evening no less! He decided to thank her after he ate some food and well, he wasn't a big coffee drinker, but he'd drink it because she went through the trouble to make it for him. He polished off the plate of food and placed the half-empty mug of coffee and his dirty dishes in the sink. Humming a few bars to a new piece of music he was composing, he walked out into the main lair and felt his jaw drop in surprise. Everything was...clean.

* * *

Wha-oh..Alex did some spring cleaning...and when i get time to write more...we'll see how Erik reacts. Now comes the shameless plug i'll put in for you all to review...if you do, you'll get your own punjab lasso...come on...review...it's the nice thing you can do and make my finals week seem more...cheerful...XD...yeah...i'm done shamelessly plugging this...

aud


	6. What is this feeling?

Oh dear...I feel horrible for keeping all of you in suspense...but coming home from college, unpacking, and the mere fact that I had and still have writers block is quite discouraging...this was written in under 3 hours and i just haven't had time to update it...and i warn you all, i was kinda out of it because i had caffine and then sat in bed and typed it...please let me know what you think...please? mmmkay...off to go cure the big block that's in my mind...XD

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Phantom...it's a shame though...a darn shame...i do own my own characters though, so no touchy_**...and now that that is out of the way, on to the story!

* * *

Chapter 5

Alex was hidden behind the large, ornate organ that sat in the main cavern. She gave a sigh and pushed a wayward strand of hair from out of her face. Twenty minutes or so, and she had already picked up most of the papers that were scattered across the floor. Most of the papers were worn around the edges and some were starting to turn yellow around the edges. Yet, they were all the same or at the very least, quite similar. They were all of a girl, a girl with extremely curly hair and an angelic face. On some of the water-colored drawings, the girl's hair appeared a dark chestnut brown. Her eyes were a soulful, puppy-begging brown eyes that held a certain insecurity to them. Her face was completely innocent, everything spoke of her innocence; from her brown eyes to her mouth. In some of the drawings, she was decked out in a beautiful white dress, then there were pictures with her in a gorgeous albeit large pink dress, then there were those that had her in a white wedding dress. But the one that caught her eye, was the gypsy costume. Here, the girl did not seem to be as innocent as the other pictures portrayed her as. Yes, the innocence was still apparent but in her eyes shown lust, seductiveness, and longing. Her gypsy costume displayed her wanting her innocence to be abandoned and perhaps to be ravished as well.

Alex was so engrossed by the pictures and looking at them that she startled when she heard someone behind her clear their throat. Turning around slowly, like a little kid caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, she slowly smiled up at the figure who stood above her.

"What are you doing, Mademoiselle Knoll?" Erik's voice seemed be breathless, like he was in shock.

"I'm merely straightening up. I mean, I nearly died this morning. This place is like a land mine." she told him.

"If you are cleaning up...then why are you looking at my personal drawings?" his voice held very little amusement in it.

"Um...they were interesting?" she saw the skeptical look on Erik's face and gave a heavy sigh. "Fine, I was curious. I mean, they were so well-drawn and each had their own personality. I just had to look at them. I'm terribly sorry if I invaded any of your privacy. But on the plus side, you can walk around without breaking your neck. If you really don't mind, I can finish cleaning the cavern." She looked at the man hopefully.

Erik glanced around at what she had done. It was true, you could move around without stepping on a composition piece, a piece of art, or various other things. Besides, he had been neglecting the cleaning for far too long. He looked down at the girl, who was pleading him with her eyes.

"You may continue Mademoiselle Knoll. But if you do not mind, I would like to help you organize my compositions and my drawings." He watched as her pouting mouth turned into a large smile.

"Go right ahead, Erik. There are two piles on top of the organ bench, one is your music compositions and the other is your drawings." He turned and went to head towards the front of the organ when her voice stopped him. "Oh, you might need these." Alex waved the drawings that she held in her hand. Erik came towards her and took them from her hand. As their fingers brushed, they both felt a jolt of electricity pass between them.

"Thank you Mademo-" but Alex waved his apology off. "Please Erik, call me Alex. I'm getting sick of hearing Mademoiselle." She saw him slowly test her name out silently and then nod in her direction. She smiled to herself and turned back to finish dusting behind the organ, all the while thinking about the small jolt she had felt.

Within a few hours, Erik began to realize why he hated cleaning. It was, he decided, the most annoying job ever. Alex had him sit down at his work desk and organize his compositions by the date he had completed them and the artwork when he had finished drawing them. The only problem was that half of his compositions weren't finished. His incomplete compositions greatly outnumbered those he had completed. He hadn't even started on his artwork and he wasn't sure if he could. The pain was all too fresh for him to even begin to look at; granted it had been four years since he had let Christine and that boy go, but it was a wound that wasn't ready to be opened. He bent his neck and rubbed it, willing the ache in it to go away. While he was slaving away, ordering his compositions, Alex was dancing around the room; dusting and listening to her iPod.

"It's astounding, time is fleeting. Madness takes it's toll. But listen closely, not for very much longer. I've got to keep...control. I remember doing the Time Warp, drinking those moments when, the blackness would hit me and a void would be calling: 'Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again.'

It's just a jump to the left, then a step to the right. Put your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight. Well, it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. Let's do the Time Warp again, let's do the Time Warp again.

It's so dreamy, a fantasy free me. So you can't see me, no not at all. In another dimension, with voyeuristic intention, while secluded...I see all. With a bit of a mind flip, you're into the time slip and nothing will ever be the same. You space out on sensation like you're under sedation. Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again.

Well I was a-walkin' down the street just a-havin' a think, when a sake of a guy gave me an evil wink. He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pick up truck and the devil's eyes. He stared at me and I felt a change, time meant nothing, never would again. Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again.

It's just a jump to the left, then a step to the right. Put your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight. Well, it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. Let's do the Time Warp again, Let's do the Time Warp again."

Erik watched as she did the movements to the time warp, all the while singing the song to her heart's content. A small smile graced his lips as she jumped around and pretended to play an instrument of some sort that was held at her waist level. Her hair, which had come out of the pony-tail that she had set it in before she started her cleaning, was clinging to her damp face. He studied her hair while she danced around. It was a bright red, like when the sun sets on a nice day and it is in red flames. Or when it rises and the whole sky is tinged with it's redness. It should have seemed harsh with her skin color, but in the candle light, it was soft and inviting. _'She really is quite pretty._' he mused to himself as her dancing came to an end. Then her mood changed, he could see it in her movements as she went about, dusting odds and ends that sat around the cavern. The song she was mouthing to, seemed to be sad. She didn't sing it out loud, but rather kept it to herself, as if it was a precious secret. Then, her hand strayed to the burnt diorama of the opera stage he had built so many years ago. He watched as she gently caressed it, afraid that a solid touch would cause it to turn to dust beneath her fingers. Then he turned around slowly, not wishing to have the horrible memories taint his mind

Alex knew Erik must think she was crazy as she danced to her favorite song from the Rocky Horror Show. Her iPod did a shuffle on her insane mix of music and Once Upon a December from the movie Anastasia, came on. She loved this song, it was so much like her life. How she could have dreams and not remember who she was or where she was. As she cleaned, she came upon a burnt figurine of something. Softly she touched it, afraid that too much pressure might cause it to crumble beneath her fingers. As she touched it, memories; some of them not hers; flooded back into her mind. FLASH. She was standing there, watching a man; whose back was turned towards her; set the model on fire. FLASH. Now she was sitting in the movie theaters, this time the diorama was being set on flames while she watched it, gorging on popcorn and slurping on her soda. The man that had set it on flames had black hair that was slicked back, blue-green eyes, and a black demi-mask. His shirt was partially open, showing a nicely toned chest with just a sprinkle of dark black hair across it. FLASH. People were invading his home, some pointed out the diorama as she stood in the darkness and watched them trash the beautiful home. FLASH. A girl, who was in all of Erik's drawings, screamed to be released from his hold; another man was standing at the portcullis demanding that the man who was holding her let her go. All of these had a familiar person that it revolved around but who? He seemed so real..so lonely. Then the final flash. He stood before the small diorama, crying. Begging the burnt remains to bring his darling Christine back. And that's when her world went black and she saw no more.

* * *

Alex tried to open her eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut. Something was preventing her from opening her eyes and she wanted it off. Her head was pounding and most of it seemed to be coming from the back of her head. "Bugger, this is one hell of a headache." she muttered through dry lips. 

"As well it should be, you took quite a fall there Mademoiselle Knoll." Erik's voice could be heard off to her left and she moved her head slightly. Although she could not see him, she could most likely guess his stern features as he looked down at her.

"How many times am I going to tell you; my name is Alex. No more of this mademoiselle Knoll stuff." She could hear Erik mutter something under his breath but chose to ignore whatever he may have said. "Now, please tell me what's on my eyes and how I came to be resting in a bed."

"You..." but at that precise moment both Ben and Celia burst through the small door. "'Lexie, you're awake! Mr. Erik said we weren't allowed to see you until you awoke but now you're up!" Celia cried triumphantly and then clambered onto Alex's bed with Ben right behind her.

"I told you two to stay outside that door until I came to get you." Erik grumbled to the twins and was rewarded with Celia turning around and sticking her tongue out at him.

"We heard her voice and knew she was up! So, we came to see her!" Ben added, trying to muster bravery into his voice.

"Besides Erik, my brother and sister are very much attached to me. I can't breathe without one of them knowing it. Now, you can continue telling me what you were going to say before we were interrupted." Alex tried to see where the masked man was standing but gave up as soon as she heard his voice surrounding her.

"You were cleaning, dusting off an old object of my past. And I turned around to continue the task that you had set upon me. All of a sudden, I heard a loud crash and you were on the floor. You hit your head upon a rock and as a result, you have a nice cut on your head. You can take that poultice off from your eyes in another minute or two. It's supposed to cut down on the headache you might experience as well as the swelling." It seemed so strange, Erik's voice seemed to be coming from everywhere around her. She nodded and was about to say something when the ringing of bells caught her ear.

"Are those...bells that I hear?" she turned her head to one side to listen better, but only winced as the pain from her cut seared through her scalp. Erik muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like "Bloody Persian." before he issued the command that the three of them were to stay there and not move. Erik would be right back after dealing with what appeared to be an unwelcomed guest. No sooner had Erik shut the door, than Alex was peeling the poultice off her face and throwing it on the bed.

"What do you two say we do some spying?" She grinned as she moved slowly towards the edge of the bed. Standing unsteadily on her two legs, the room began to swirl before her eyes and she was forced to sit back down. "On second thought, you two go out there and sneak around. When you have something to report back to me, you may return. Do you accept your quest?" The twins nodded and quietly sneaked out the door and into the main cavern to watch Mr. Erik.

* * *

Nadir Khan could hardly believe it. His friend, if you could call him that, was alive. Erik was alive and still living below the Opera House. He had successfully managed to fool everyone above the ground that he was dead and everyone, save for Madame Giry, seemed to be ecstatic. No more where they to be bothered by a masked man, making small demands or scaring them all witless. They were free to do as they pleased and now the managers truly ran the Opera House. However, Nadir refused to believe whatever the papers had written. He had a feeling that Erik would not give up his reign on the Opera House so quickly. He had helped design this building, knew of every nook and cranny that existed, and so he assumed that Erik had hidden away, planted the false body that had been found, and was now back in his home. Of course when Erik would hear that the managers were utterly lost without him, having been controlled by the Opera Ghost for their time spent here, he would welcome the pleasure in bossing around the managers. So, taking a chance he risked going down into the lair, to hopefully see if his assumptions were correct and that Erik was still alive. When he had first arrived upon the shores of the underground lair, he was surprised. It was clean, not a scrap of paper sat upon the floor and all objects looked like they had been recently dusted. Was Erik actually trying to make his home presentable? Or was he even still around? But his second question was answered when Erik stepped out of the hallway and into the main cavern. 

"Oh thank Allah! You are still alive; I knew not to believe whatever those newspapers had written about your death." Nadir said, rushing to his friend and embraced him in a quick hug. He let go immediately when he heard, no felt, the tell-tale sign of Erik's anger.

"What do you think you are doing, trespassing on my sanctuary?" Erik growled. "And why now of all things? Four years have passed Nadir, and now you are making your way down here?"

"I know I have been delaying the return to here, but you must understand; I wanted to make sure that the newspapers and everyone thought you were dead. To come down here a year or two after the...accident; why it'd only cause talk and talk could lead to exploration. Besides, I have the most interesting news to tell you." Nadir's eyes caught a movement to his left and he quickly turned his head to follow it. "My friend, I do not believe we are alone."

"We aren't...and I know who the listener's might be." He stalked towards a large chair and looked behind it. "Come on out you two, you've been found. Did I not tell you to remain in the room with Alex?" Two figures shuffled out from behind the chair, heads bowed and hands clasped behind their backs; while they muttered "Yes sir" and "We're sorry." Nadir stood stock still, Erik had others down here with him? "Sit down in that chair and do not move." he motioned to the chair that they had been hiding behind and obediently they followed. Then, turning around to Nadir he switched to speaking in Arabic.

"Before you tell me anything or worse yet, ask me questions I guess I should explain these two miscreants and how they and their elder sister came here." Nadir nodded, feeling his eyes narrow. If Erik had kidnapped them from the surface, then Nadir had no choice to take them back. However, Erik launched into a different tale of how he had found them, where they were from, and ended with his arrival. "As you can see, they have no place to go until the Opera House re-opens. Then, I believe I will contact Madame Giry and have her see if there is an open spot for a dancer in the ballet corps. After all, Mademoiselle Knoll...forgive me, Alex is an excellent dancer and would become better if she were taught by a firm hand. Now, let's discuss your trip down to my home. You say you have interesting news for me. Please, do tell all."

"Well, apparently the managers are floundering. They are utterly lost without a...guiding hand helping them along the way. You know they have no sense of music between the two of them and cannot manage the Opera House without it's Opera Ghost. I heard the taller one tell his partner that they wish you were not dead, because you could help them in deciding who the singers and dancers should be. I would guess that if they were to receive a note of some kind, letting them know that you were still around, they would not only be relieved that you have decided to take up your duties, but most likely grateful that you would help... "guide" them." Nadir looked sideways at his friend.

"You know as well as I do Nadir that should I show my head or prove that my existence is still here, I would have a mob down here before I returned from giving the managers my note. It is impossible and utterly stupid to show my face around. It is best that they forget me and allow me to fade into legend as the mysterious Opera Ghost who died beneath the Opera House." Erik said, not really wanting to go through another horrible experience again.

"I realize this Erik but what are you going to do when the money runs out? What if they sell the Opera House and then decide to tear it down? You'll be exposed then and you won't have a way to hide. Just think, you could conduct your business via the managers. Tell them to say that you are truly dead, but keep your iron grip on their decisions. No one would be none the wiser, you'd still retain some sort of income and they would have a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. It is a perfect plan, you'll never meet each other and you have them leave the money somewhere that only the three of you know of. Threaten that if they should tell anyone, they would be on their own in the decision making for the Opera House. They wouldn't dare tell anyone if it meant losing a guiding hand." Nadir watched as Erik weighed the pros and cons inside his head. Finally he nodded, giving his word that he would indeed help with the managers. Nadir smiled and looked up to see someone standing in the door way.

"It seems, Erik, that your patient is up and walking around."

Erik turned and gave a frustrated sigh. "You are as bad as your brother and sister Alex. Please, go back to bed. You should be resting with that head wound, not up and walking around."

"I'm thirsty and I had to go to the bathroom. But now that I'm up, I should really start on dinner..." but was silenced by Erik's glare. "_I _shall handle dinner while _you _go back to bed. Be off, we have to go visit someone tomorrow if I deem you well enough." Alex looked skeptical and curious but followed orders and staggered back to the bed room.

"What an interesting girl." Nadir muttered to himself.

"You have no idea." Erik commented to his friend before calling the twins to follow him into the kitchen. Nadir followed behind them, and was stunned to see his friend being controlled by a girl who was sick. Things just kept getting stranger and stranger.

* * *

Alex blinked as she stepped out from the darkness of the tunnel. The early evening sky was quickly approaching and the sun was painting it's colors across the sky. It had been days since she had been up and around. Erik had insisted that she remain in bed and now, after laying around for a day, they were outside. Ben and Celia followed her and behind them came Erik. She took a deep breath and allowed the different scents of Paris engulf her. There were smells of restaurants cooking up expensive meals, alcohol was prevalent from further down the alleyway, and other non-distinctive smells. Erik took the lead and out of the alleyway and into a cab they went. After Erik had given the driver directions, did she ask him where they were going. 

"We are going to visit a friend of mine. She happens to be the ballet mistress of the Opera House. If we are lucky, she might have an opening for you. That is, once the Opera House is finished." And no more was said except for Ben and Celia playing 'I spy' as they rode across town.

"I spy with my little eye something...black." Ben told his sister after giving the color a considerable amount of thought.

"Oh! The carriage that just passed us." Celia cried, but Ben shook his head. Celia kept guessing until she came to the last resort. "Was it a black horse?" Ben nodded and Celia stared out the window. While the two little ones continued their game, Alex took the time to watch Erik's profile. He had hidden the mask, donning on a large hooded cape. And she took notice to how he always made sure they weren't being followed. Odd, it seemed like he was a fugitive, watching his back and making sure all his tracks were covered. She stared at him, and when he turned to look at her, she blushed but never broke eye contact. Each had their own separate thoughts about one another, but at the same time they shared a bond that neither one of them could break. Finally, Alex looked away shyly and tried to focus on the world that passed outside the carriage while Erik's eyes remained trained on her. A fluttering began in her stomach and she felt her heart rate speed up. What was this feeling that she felt? Sure she had crushes before, but none as strong as this. If she was courageous enough, she would have taken his hand since Ben and Celia were facing them and she was right beside Erik. But that would be overstepping her bounds and besides, she didn't know him well enough.

'_But what of that tingle that you both had felt? Surely that was no mere coincidence.' _The little voice nagged inside her head. Ruefully she told it to shut up and tried to ignore it. But it kept coming back, hounding her and letting her know that she should take the jump and grab his hand. But just as she was about to, the carriage lurched to a stop outside of a nice hotel and the door opened. Erik got out and turned around, offering his hand for Alex to take so she could get out. Taking it, she tried to ignore the rush of fire through her veins as she was helped out of the carriage but it was useless. And Erik must have felt something for he drew his hand away from her's the instant both her feet were on solid ground. She noticed that he subtly flexed his hand, as if willing the brief interaction and feeling away. Just as she was about to help Ben and Celia out of the carriage, a girl with blonde hair and an elder woman with dark brown hair approached the carriage. Alex knew she paled in front of the two, for the two women that were standing directing in front of her were the two from her dream; the one with the man in the red suit with the skull demi-mask.

"Ah, Madame Giry and Mademoiselle Giry. How do you both fair this evening?" Erik swept into a small bow while Alex and the twins stood off to the side.

"We fair quite well, Monsieur Erik. I see you have brought your lady friend that you had mentioned in your letter to us. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mademoiselle Knoll. I am Antoinette Giry and this is my daughter, Meg Giry. I am the head ballet mistress at the Opera Populaire." Alex did a small curtsy and smiled.

"You may call me Alex, Madame Giry. These are my younger siblings, Ben and Celia Knoll."

"Let's go inside and out of this chilly weather. We'll discuss the terms and auditions for you to be in the ballet. However, I do believe we have an open spot. I believe one girl has run off and gotten herself married. Quite a shock to me, she was always a sensible girl. But now I am rattling on. Come, we shall go inside." Madame Giry led the way with Meg trailing behind her. Alex followed Meg, holding Ben and Celia's hands while Erik brought up the rear. She looked up and smiled, tonight would prove to be interesting.

* * *

for those of you who are wondering the song Alex was singing...it's the Time Warp from Rocky Horror Show...great song...absolutely amazing...xP...this is the song that popped up on my mixed list on my computer...and it fits Alex to a T...hehehe...reviews are welcomed and much needed...if you want me to continue...push that button..go ahead...push it or i will send my man eating tootsie rolls after all of you...XD...don't ask...just...don't ask... 


	7. Of Pebbles and a blushing Erik

oh my god! I am soooooo sorry for not updating this story in like forever! This one and my other one. I feel horrible, but I have been extremely busy since coming home in May from college. I was out of this country for a month and a half and in England. And i didn't exactly have time to type while taking a course in England. Then my computer wasn't working and we were afraid i would have to send it back to Dell. It was bad. But i updated and i hope i made it up to all of you! Please READ AND REVIEW! it'd be greatly appreciated!

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Chapter 6

Music wafted through the Opera House, swirling and enveloping Alex in a wonderful cocoon of fervor. Flutes played away, sounding like songbirds while the violins bowed away. Madame Giry stood off to the side and watched as the ballet corps danced to the music. Alex let go of everything that had happened and focused on the music and her steps. Once the music stopped and the ballet corps struck their final pose, Madame Giry walked towards them.

"Never in my life have I seen such profound clumsiness! Tripping over feet, ribbons that have come loose, and extreme laziness! Marie, you seem to have your head in the clouds! Lilia you seemed to be dreaming of someone else rather than having your thoughts on the dance moves!" Madame Giry moved down the line and pointed out different faults and positive points. Finally, she came upon Alex and Meg who stood beside each other.

"Mademoiselle Knoll, you have a passion for dancing that match my daughters. You were focused not only on the music but on the moves as well. However you are a little shaky on your moves, but if you wish, Meg could help you after practice." Alex nodded and looked over at her new found friend.

"Meg, you are improving but practice would not hurt you." She gave a small smile to her daughter before turning around to look at the rest of the ballet corps. "There will be auditions this coming Saturday for some minor solos. Those of you who want to audition may show up and be prepared to show the managers your best. With that said, you are all dismissed for the day." The gaggle of girls split off and went to either their respective rooms in the ballet dorms or others stayed on the stage to warm down. Meg and Alex separated from some of the groups that remained on the stage.

"Do you think you are going to audition for the solos Alex?" Meg asked as they sat down to do their warm-downs.

"I would like to. It would be nice to be paid a little bit more than what I am being paid right now. I feel horrible spending _his_ money all the time and the twins are going to need some new shoes and clothing." She commented as she stretched over her right leg.

"If you ever need someone to watch them, Maman and I would love to look after them." Meg told the red-headed girl as they both did splits. "Has Maman mentioned the Bal Masque to you?"

"No one has mentioned anything of the such." Alex said as she stood and turned around. They were the only two left upon the stage. "When is..." but at that particular time, the managers came upon the stage and behind them was a man that must have been from impeccable wealth. His stature was tall and slightly muscular with his shoulders set back with an arrogant air. He wore cream buckskin pants that seemed to be painted upon his legs. He had a silver waistcoat on, that barely brushed the top of his pants. His white linen shirt was pressed to perfection underneath the waistcoat and his jacket was the darkest midnight blue that was ever seen. His cravat, which was also dark midnight blue, was done in the latest fashion. But what caught Alex's eye was his hair, it was blonde; a golden blonde that seemed to have been spun from the sun itself.

"And here you can see, is our stage. It has just finished the remodifications since the fire. We will be opening a new show upon this stage in under a few weeks." Andre said as he stopped in the middle of the stage. He turned back around to look at his new patron when he saw that his patron was interested in something else. "Ah! I see you have spotted some of our ballet girls." The young man gave a slight nod and Firmin called them over.

"May I introduce you to Mademoiselle Giry and..." He tapered off not knowing the other girl's name.

"I am Mademoiselle Knoll, Messiers." Alex said stepping forward and giving a slight curtsey.

"A pleasure to make your beautiful acquaintance, Mademoiselle Knoll. I am Monsieur Salvaterra." he stepped forward as well and took Alex's hand. He brushed a light kiss across her knuckles and looked up into her eyes. She felt her eyes widen when she saw the color; they were a pale icy blue.

"Well, as you can see..." Andre moved to step between the two when a sharp voice came out of the darkness. "Meg Giry, where are you?" No sooner were those words uttered than Madame Giry stepped out and stopped in her tracks.

"I beg your pardon Messiers, I did not realize that you were talking to my daughter." she said, giving them a look.

"No need to apologize Madame. We were just introducing Monsieur Salvaterra here. This, Monsieur Salvaterra, is our ballet mistress; Madame Giry. She is the finest ballet mistress in Paris." Madame Giry bowed again and looked pointedly at the managers.

"As much as I would care to stay, I am afraid that I must take my leave. Meg and Alex if you two would follow me to the practice room. We have much to go over for auditions on Saturday." She turned around and marched off in the direction she had came from with Meg and Alex following dutifully behind. Alex glanced a look over her shoulder and found that although the managers were back to talking to Mr. Salvaterra, he was still staring at her retreating form. She hurried faster trying to get away from the piercing stare of the man that had officially freaked her out.

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"One...two...bombs away!" came a shout from the plump chair where a tiny child stood upon it, ready to launch a rock into the water. Ben jumped from the chair and landed on the small piece of wood that served as the launcher. The rock upon the other end, flew into the air and...landed upon the organ bench with a sickening crack.

"Hmmm...looks like we gotta point it more towards the left." Celia commented popping up from her position on the one side of the chair. She scrambled out and quickly shifted the child-made launcher and then placed another pebble upon the board. "Ben are you in position?" she cried.

"Yup, are ya ready?" Celia gave a slight nod and Ben clambered up onto the chair's arm. "One...two...bombs away!" This time when he jumped the pebble flew right through the air and hit a small marble statue. It bounced harmlessly off the small statue and landed on an organ key. The key gave a slight whiny protest before there was silence.

"Maybe if we place the rock on the opposite end of the board we'll have more luck!" Celia quickly placed a pebble on the side that Ben had been jumping upon and scrambled back into her position. "Now try!" Ben jumped and the pebble soared through the air to land at the feet of a not-very happy Erik.

"What do you think you two are doing?" He asked, his eyebrow raising up slowly. The twins knew that when his eyebrow did that in slow motion, they were to run as fast as they could.

"We're launching pebbles." Ben said, trying to be brave. "See...watch. Celia places a pebble on this end," Celia jumped up and placed a rather large pebble on the end of the plank. "And then I say 'One...two...bombs away!' and then I jump; like this." Ben launched himself into the air and came crashing down upon the board with brute force. The pebble that had been placed upon the plank went flying through the air, much higher and much faster than before and struck Erik right in the face. The twins looked up and saw the red welt that the pebble had left and slowly they backed away. Erik issued a low growl that sent the twins scampering off to some hiding spot while he stalked around, trying to find the little devils.

"Where are you! I know you are out here, I can hear your breathing! Come on out you little evil children. I won't hurt you...much." He stood stock still and listened closely.

"I think he's gone, Celia!" Ben's anxious whisper came from behind the organ. Erik smiled to himself and stalked up the stairs that led to his precious instrument. He took notice of the few pebbles that sat upon the organ bench and the one that sat upon the keys. When he got a hold of them, they were going to be in big trouble. He stalked behind the organ and saw the two look fearfully up at him.

"Please don't hurt us! Alex won't be happy, and when she's not happy then it's not a pretty sight." Celia pleaded with him.

"What won't I be happy about?" Alex's voice came from the banks of the lake.

"Alex!" the twins jumped off and rushed to their elder sister for protection. "Mr. Erik's gonna kill us!" Celia told her.

"Yeah! He's gonna murder us!" Ben chimed in, clutching his sister's skirt between his small hands.

"Now, I'm sure he has a good reason to murder you two. Erik, can you tell me why you're going to murder my brother and sister?" she looked up and noticed the small red welt that had grown into a nice sizable goose egg. "What happened to you? You have a huge bump on your head!"

"Those two launched a rock at my head. What you see is the result of their successful launch." Erik's normal green eyes were almost golden with anger.

Alex looked down at the twins and saw their guilty faces. "You two are to apologize immediately then you are to head off to your bedroom until I call you out. Do you understand?" they mumbled their agreements then went up to Erik.

"We're sorry Mr. Erik." they said in unison.

"You are forgiven. However, I will have to find a suitable punishment for chucking pebbles at my organ." The twins looked at each other and gulped.

"Now, off to the room you two go. I will call you out after I have prepared dinner." she watched as the two marched off in the general direction of their rooms and when she heard the dull click of the door shutting, she turned back towards Erik. "I am terribly sorry about that, when they get horribly bored they tend to get into a lot of trouble."

Erik hesitantly touched the welt. "It's okay, it only stung when they first hit me. I've survived worse than a pebble to the head."

Alex smiled and tilted her head. "I hope your organ is not permanently damaged. I know how much it means to you. If it is, I'll pay for the repairs that'll need to fix it up." Erik looked at her, astounded at what she had said.

"It is not necessary for you to pay me to pick up the parts that might be needed to fix it. I have more than enough to pay for whatever little damage they have caused to it. But...thank you for offering. It was a nice gesture." He gave her a small grin, and Alex finally thought that maybe she had broken down whatever wall Erik had constructed around him. But as soon as that small smile had appeared, it disappeared quickly.

"I guess I better go start dinner." she mumbled shyly. She started towards the kitchen before she stopped and turned around. "Erik, there's this Bal Masque that is being put on and I...well, I don't have a dress nor a mask. Is there someplace you could recommend to me so I can buy it?" Erik looked thoughtful before he spoke.

"I will take care of it, Mademoi- Alex. You will not have to worry." He watched as a smile spread across her face and found that he wanted to smile because he had made_ her_ smile. Something within him fluttered and he quickly pushed it aside. It can't be this way...he still missed his Angel. He would never stop wanting his perfect Angel, no matter how many smiles Alex gave him. He turned around and heard her say a soft 'Thank you' before disappearing into the kitchen. Sitting down in the chair that Ben had been jumping off, he contemplated what she may wear to the Bal Masque and how to punish the twins.

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Monsieur Thomas Salvaterra left the Opera House and quickly got into the carriage. As the carriage rolled away from the gorgeous Opera House, his mind was not on the latest thing he had invested on but rather on a sweet ballerina girl that had flaming red hair. He could still smell the scent of lavenders and vanilla upon his hand. Sticking his hand to his nose, he greedily tried to inhale her scent. She was beautiful, graceful, and above all seemed to have a mind of her own. He thought of her name, Alex Knoll. Funny, it didn't sound remotely French nor did it seem to match her Irish countenance. Maybe she was English or even from the New World. Thomas wanted to know everything about her, why she came France, her entire life history, and if she was being courted. The last item seemed important to him for his family was begging him to settle down, begin a family and beget an heir. He knew he had to wait to find the one, but when he saw Alex this afternoon he immediately knew she was the one for him. He would win her over no matter what it took.

Meanwhile, Alex was trying to persuade the twins to come out of their room for dinner. They had decided that it was better to starve than face what might happen to them if they were to see Erik. Somehow they had barricaded something across the door, making it impossible for Alex to open the door.

"Come on you two, please let me in. I promise you that Erik won't give you something so terrible as cleaning the pots and pans for weeks. Just come out and eat something." she pleaded with them through the door.

"No! We don't wanna eat!" Ben's voice floated through the door.

"If you are not out here on the count of five, I will knock this door down." Silence reigned from the other side before Celia responded.

"Good! Then try all you want!" Alex rubbed her forehead, when the twins wanted to be complicated, they could be. It came from her mother's side of the family and all three of them were blessed with their mother's stubbornness. She gave a growl of frustration before stomping off to the kitchen. She may not be able to break the door down, but surely with a man's help they could enter that room.

Erik looked up from the paper he had gotten earlier that day. Alex slammed herself into the chair next to his and give a low growl of frustration. Erik turned back to his paper and smirked behind it. "What's the matter?"

"Ben and Celia are being a pain in my side. They refuse to come out because they are afraid of what their punishment will be. Think you could help me with the door? They have something in front of it." She looked at him hopefully. If she needed to, she would turn on the pout to convince him. She saw Erik glance over the top of his paper, a smirk playing across his lips. She watched as the gears turned in his head, contemplating all the moves he could make. Finally, he folded his paper up and laid it on the table. Erik stood and walked into the hallway that led to the twins rooms. Alex followed him close behind, eager and nervous to see what Erik might do to the twins. Erik stopped right outside the door and pushed slightly against it. He turned back around to Alex.

"They must have a chair propped underneath the knob. There is no way that is going to budge and I won't break the door down."

Alex looked at the door then back to him then back to the door. How did those two brats do it? She was still staring at the door when she asked Erik a question. "So, how are we exactly going to be getting them out? That's the only way in!"

"I said that the door wasn't going to budge, I never said there wasn't another way in. You stay out here; I'll go get them out."

Alex watched as Erik walked down the hallway and disappeared into a small tunnel. She paced the floor outside the door when two identical squeals of panic echoed in the bedroom. Just as she went to lean against the door, it shot open and two children and one grown man tumbled out. Caught completely off guard Alex stumbled backwards, grabbing at the first thing that she happened to come in contact with; Erik's waistcoat. Both of them fell to the ground, Erik landing on top of Alex. Alex, who had shut her eyes as she went flying backwards, immediately snapped them open at the sound of stifled giggles. She looked directly up to see a blushing Erik above her and suddenly she began to blush. Erik jumped up and held out his hand to assist her up, which she took.

"I'm...I'm terribly sorry about that. I didn't mean for them to come rushing out at you and scare you." Erik stammered.

"It's okay. There was no harm done to either of us and we're both perfectly fine." Alex said, trying to reassure the poor man. Erik looked at her and Alex swore her heart jumped a mile into the sky. Then he cleared his throat. "Shall we go to dinner?"

"Oh...yes, dinner." she broke his eye contact and looked at the twins. "Come on you two, you've caused enough trouble today." She shooed the twins towards the kitchen as Erik followed behind her, unaware of the smile that played across of his lips.

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What punishment has Erik concocted? What will Alex wear to the Bal Masque? Tune in next time (whenever I get the time...so is the life of a college student) to find out!


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